Chelsea will welcome rivals Newcastle United to Stamford Bridge on Saturday after their narrow 1-1 draw with Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United side last weekend, as they look to slowly climb up the Premier League table now. The Londoners have been performing better since the sacking of Jose Mourinho and will once again look to secure all three points in this one. Guus Hiddink’s arrival in west London have given his side some impetus and a slight recovery has been made, which would have encouraged the players. The reigning champions of England are undefeated in their last five matches in all competitions and will want to keep it that way, as they face off against the Magpies this weekend.
Chelsea are currently at 13th place on the points table while Newcastle lie at 17th place and both sides will be keen on not dropping any easy points in this one.
Team News:
The home side have five players out with injuries including new arrival Alexander Pato, who will not be part of the team for this fixture. Apart from that Kurt Zouma and Radamel Falcao will be out with injuries as well and will not make it on time for this one. Loic Remy and Diego Costa are the other two players who are injured though they could be part of the squad for this one. The Spanish international has a head/face injury and might play this game with some protection.
The visitors have a huge injury problem, with 11 of their star players currently sidelined with various injuries. One man who would be dearly missed in the game against the Blues would be keeper Tim Krul, who is out with a knee injury and will miss the rest of the current campaign. Further, Jack Colback and Daryl Janmaat would be expected to return to the squad for this one, though it will be interesting to see whether they are part of the starting eleven or on the bench.
Possible Lineups:
Chelsea: Courtois; Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Costa
Newcastle United: Elliot; Janmaat, Taylor, Coloccini, Colback; Tiote, Shelvey; Townsend, Wijnaldum, Sissoko; Mitrovic
Key battles:
1. Willian vs Colback:
The Brazilian has scored some crucial goals for the west London side this season and has looked one of the better players for his team. He has put in some solid performances from the start of the season, though has lacked consistency. Hiddink will expect a good performance from his winger once again who will be up against Colback, who will just be making his return to the starting eleven after recovering from an injury. It should be an intense battle on the wings as both players will want to come on top in this contest.
2. Costa vs Coloccini:
Costa apparently has a broken nose and could start in the match if needed, as Chelsea will want to score some early goals in the game. The Brazilian-born striker will be expected to lead the front-line and will be up against Newcastle’s Coloccini. The former Argentine international will be assigned the task to keep the attacker quiet though the Chelsea man will surely provide a good test for him.
Predictions:
Chelsea 2-0 Newcastle United
The home advantage and recent form should surely help Chelsea pick up all three points with the difference between the two sides being a couple of goals. Steve McClaren’s side will surely look to put up a fight on their travels though it will be really tough for them to salvage something out of the game.
Betting Odds:
Chelsea: 1.4
Draw: 5
Newcastle United: 9